Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 19 March (HL14551), how many HS2 trains and their destinations an hour per direction are planned to use the connection between HS2 and the West Coast Main Line at Handsacre when (1) only Phase 1 is operational, and (2) bothPhases 1 and 2A are operational; and what are the expected dates that Phase 1 and Phase 2 will become operational.

baroness sugg: Handsacre Junction is designed for HS2 trains to run from the HS2 network and onto the West Coast Mainline. • The HS2 Phase One Business Case (published in October 2013) assumed that 7 trains per hour in both directions will operate over Handsacre Junction to destinations north of Birmingham.• The HS2 Phase 2a Business Case (published in July 2017) assumed that 1 train per hour in both directions will operate over Handsacre Junction The Select Committee is considering modifications to the proposed layout of Handsacre junction following the deposit of Additional Provision 2 to the Phase 2a hybrid Bill on 8 February 2019. Final decisions about the Train Service Specification that will operate on the HS2 network, and relevant parts of the existing rail network, will be made once the Department has received advice following the outcome of the West Coast Partnership competition. Regarding when Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be operational, HS2 Ltd has been set a Delivery In Service Target by Government and it is working with its suppliers to confirm the latest assessment of schedule.

Chris Grayling

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 22 March (HL14509), whether the details of the Secretary of State for Transport's diary for 4 Marchare exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if so, why.

baroness sugg: Any request made under the Freedom of Information Act would be carefully assessed on a case by case basis in light of the Act's statutory framework, including the consideration of relevant absolute or qualified exemptions. Hospitality, meetings with external parties and travel are published for all Ministers on a quarterly basis.

M4: Speed Limits

lord lipsey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated value of motorists' time lost due to the 50mph limit in place as part of the works to create a digital M4.

baroness sugg: The impact of delays during construction of the M4 junction 3 to 12 smart motorway scheme was assessed as part of the economic appraisal undertaken prior to the start of construction. This took into account various factors including the impact of the construction programme in full, lane availability and also the effect of limiting traffic speed to 50mph. This assessment gave an estimated value of £123m for user delay costs during construction. The economic appraisal also forecasts that the scheme could deliver £2 of benefits for every £1 of cost.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with companies running petrol service stations about the provision of electric vehicle charging and establishing a common signage to inform drivers that charging is available.

baroness sugg: The Government has had a number of discussions with companies running petrol service stations about the provision of electric vehicle charge points. The Automated and Electric Vehicles Act gives the Government new powers to improve the provision of electric vehicle infrastructure. These proposals include powers to require provision at large fuel retailers. We have said we will monitor the market and only use these powers if the market fails to deliver the infrastructure required. The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 do not prescribe signs for petrol filling stations. An electric vehicle charging point symbol is available for use on traffic signs indicating service areas.

M20: Road Traffic Control

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) toilet and washing facilities, (2) catering facilities, and (3) water supplies, are provided at (a) Manston Airport and (b) on the M20, as part of Operation Brock.

baroness sugg: If Manston Airport is used as a goods vehicle holding facility under Operation Brock in the event of disruption to cross channel services, hauliers will have access to toilet, washing and catering facilities on site and they will also be provided with water. Any decision as to whether welfare for hauliers is required on the M20 will be taken on the day on the basis of the latest intelligence. Welfare is the responsibility of Kent County Council. Welfare provision for private motorists will be triggered if Operation Brock is activated once traffic has been queuing for at least 4 hours and the welfare of individuals is assessed to be at risk. Plans have been designed to highlight to the travelling public the locations where welfare provision can be sought away from the Highway such as large supermarkets or fuel stations close to major junctions. If necessary, this may include the supply of water, sanitation and blankets.

Transport: Urban Areas

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they conducted an equality impact assessment when preparing their Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy, published on 19 March; and what account they (1) took when preparing, and (2) plan to take when implementing, that strategy of disabled people and wheelchair users.

baroness sugg: No equality impact assessment was carried out for the Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy. The Strategy sets out the Government's high level thinking on future technologies and trends, many of which are subject to uncertainty. As such it would have been too early to conduct a meaningful equality impact assessment at this stage.However, in the preparation of the Strategy the Department consulted with a wide range of stakeholders including those representing disabled people and wheelchair users. This included a written Call for Evidence and a roundtable with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Automation

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofreports that 1.5 million jobs could be lost due to increased automation.

lord henley: The Industrial Strategy sets out the Government’s ambition to make the UK a global centre for AI and data innovation and to embed the power of these technologies across our economy.The estimate does not consider the potential job creation resulting from automation. World Economic Forum estimate that automation will create 133 million new globally by 2022.The Government recognises that demand for skills will continue to change, in part in response to automation. In order to equip the UK to capitalise on this opportunity, we have committed to improving the UK's system for training in digital skills, lifelong learning to ensure that working people have the support they need to navigate the challenge of automation to a higher-wage future. The Government are investing £406 million in maths, digital and technical education and have committed £100 million for the first phase of developing the National Retraining Scheme to support people vulnerable to technological change.

Solar Events

lord arbuthnot of edrom: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they have put in placeto protect against geomagnetic disturbances; and whether they have published, or intend to publish, the details of any such measures.

lord henley: The Government has assessed the risk of geomagnetic disturbances from Space Weather and identified actions to manage the risks, these are set out in the National Risk Register (2017 edition) on Gov.uk.



National Risk Register Of Civil Emergencies 2017 
(PDF Document, 4.11 MB)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Bahrain: Prisons

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of theMandates of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief; and the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice, published on 17 January,which expressed concerns over the ongoing reprisals against political prisoner Hajar Mansoor Hasan in Bahrain and identified Major Albardoli "as the prison official responsible for the abuses in Isa Town Prison"; and what steps they are taking, under their international obligations and as a signatory to the UN Convention against Torture, to tackle torture and prison abuses in Bahrain.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government takes note of a number of sources of information on a range of issues in Bahrain; including publications and statements by the UN and non-governmental organisations, including UN Special Rapporteurs. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to protect human rights for all of its citizens, in line with its international obligations.We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the appropriate oversight body. We encourage the oversight bodies to carry out swift, thorough and impartial investigations.The UK does consistently and unreservedly condemn torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and we raise our concerns wherever and whenever it occurs.​

Saudi Arabia: Detainees

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 18 March (HL14232), which specific media sources were used to inform the response; and whether they agree with the conclusions and views expressed elsewhere in those articles.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: This figure was obtained from the ‘Statement by the Royal Court: Anti Corruption Committee Concludes Its Tasks’ released by the Saudi Press Agency, which is available on their website.We maintain investigations must be fairly conducted and comply with international standards.

North Korea: Forced Labour

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the report by Human Trafficking Search State-sponsored Slavery: an North Korean Export, published in 2018, that an estimated 200,000North Korean state-sponsored workers are used as forced labour in 45 countries.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is aware of the report by Human Trafficking Search and deeply concerned by its findings. North Korea has sent large numbers of workers overseas to earn money for the regime though estimates of the total number vary considerably. We urge all countries to meet their obligations under UNSCR 2397 to repatriate DPRK overseas workers by December 2019. The UK has actively in encouraged all UN member states to submit implementation reports to the UN as part of these obligations and continue to engage with states that host DPRK workers in violation of UN sanctions.

North Korea: Human Trafficking

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of estimates in the Global Slavery Index relating to the number ofNorth Koreans who have been trafficked to China.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government is deeply concerned at reports of North Korean women who have experienced sexual exploitation or forced marriage, in North Korea or China. Our Ambassador has raised our concerns directly with the Government of North Korea. Although it is hard to assess accurately how many North Koreans have been forced into human trafficking in China or other countries, the Global Slavery Index indicates that the numbers involved are distressingly high. We are committed to the eradication of all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking by 2030, as unanimously adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in 2015.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Urban Areas: Community Development

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthenurbancommunities.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government recognises the value and contribution of all of our communities and supporting them runs through all of the Government’s work.Government has recently announced the £1.6 billion Stronger Towns Fund to help places which have not shared in the proceeds of growth and communities left behind by rapid economic change.As part of ‘Our Plan for the High Street’ we are funding the £675 million Future High Streets Fund to support investment in town centre infrastructure and five ‘Open Doors’ pilots to match local community groups with vacant high street properties. We are also celebrating the good work that communities have done in their high streets and town centres through the Great British High Street Awards, which will return in 2019 in partnership with Visa, and have provided £9.75 million for local authorities to work with community groups to clean up their high streets.Government has also committed £9.1 billion of the Local Growth Fund to Local Enterprise Partnerships through three rounds of competitive Growth Deals between 2015 and 2021, strengthened local leadership through nine devolution deals and the establishment of eight combined authority mayors; and is negotiating city and growth deals in the devolved administrations, with deals already agreed in Wales for Cardiff and Swansea Bay and £120 million UK Government funding committed to the North Wales Growth Deal.We are also looking to increase the availability of urban community spaces and on 26 March the Government announced the winners of the £3.75 million fund to create new Pocket Parks and to refurbish existing parks.

Business Premises: Change of Use

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they provide to those who wish to convert commercial buildings into residential accommodation.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Our Planning Practice Guidance sets out information on when planning permission is required to change use of buildings, and whether national permitted development rights apply. This is available on the MHCLG website.

Racial Discrimination

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to produce a definition of (1) Islamophobia, and (2) other forms of racism.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Cross- Government Working Group to Tackle Anti-Muslim Hatred will be undertaking a programme of work to consider a definition following consultation, which effectively tackles prejudice and hatred.Government is clear that all forms of hate crime, including race-related hate crime, are unacceptable and there is legislation in place to deal with perpetrators of hateful acts. We have asked the Law Commission to undertake a review of the current hate crime legislation.

Private Rented Housing: Electrical Safety

lord tope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progressthey have madewith plans, announced in January, to introducemandatory electrical safety checks in the private rented sector.

lord tope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultationsare being held with consumer groups on ways to ensure that tenants are aware of electrical safety checks in the private rented sector.

lord tope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation they have held with local government on the enforcement of any new regulations for mandatory electrical safety checks in the private rented sector.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: We are working to bring into force regulations on mandatory electrical safety checks in the private rented sector as soon as possible, subject to parliamentary approval and timetable. As outlined in the Government response to the consultation on Electrical Safety in the Private Rented Sector, published on 29 January 2019, we will work with industry to produce guidance for landlords setting out the skills and qualifications relevant to determining competence of those carrying out electrical inspections. We intend to work with local authorities in England as we develop the range of sanctions available to them for non-compliance.We regularly consult with stakeholder groups including tenants, and in July 2018, we updated our ‘How to’ guides, a series of checklists for renting in England which must be provided to tenants at the outset of all new tenancies. Further consultation with tenant groups will take place when the Electrical Safety Regulations come into force to raise tenant awareness about the changes and the ‘How to’ guides will be updated accordingly.

Private Rented Housing: Safety

lord tope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether landlords and letting agents should be prevented from renting properties if they do not possess an up-to-date gas safety certificate.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: All landlords must provide a tenant with a gas safety certification at the start of the tenancy and within 28 days of each annual gas safety check, if there is a gas installation. Landlords of tenants on assured shorthold tenancies (which started or were renewed after 1st October 2015) cannot serve an eviction notice under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 if the gas safety certificate has not been provided.

Housing: Construction

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their commitment to “maintaining existing strong protections for the Green Belt, and clarifying that Green Belt boundaries should be amended only in exceptional circumstances” in Fixing our broken housing market (CM 9352), published in February 2017, what assessment they have made of the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s report State of Brownfield 2019, published in March; and what plans they have to incentivise building on brownfield sites.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: We provide strong encouragement for re-use of brownfield land. The National Planning Policy Framework expects local authorities to give substantial weight to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements for new homes and other uses. We ask them to prioritise brownfield wherever practicable, and have provided support in the form of increased loan funding for site preparation, infrastructure and land assembly; new permitted development rights to put existing buildings to good use; and a reduction in the constraints on brownfield sites in Green Belt to allow more affordable homes. Local brownfield registers are bringing thousands of hectares of developable land to the attention of house-builders. Local authorities are also beginning to receive proposals regarding Permission in Principle for housing-led developments on land in brownfield registers.Brownfield sufficient for hundreds of thousands of new homes exists, but it is for local authorities to use their plans to steer much-needed housing-led development and investment to brownfield sites available in viable and sustainable locations.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Large Goods Vehicles

earl attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Ministry of Defence intends to operate its white and green fleet of Heavy Goods Vehicles to at least as high a technical and safety standard as civilian commercial operators.

earl howe: The Secretary of State for Defence's Policy Statement for Health, Safety and Environmental Protection (HS and EP) requires the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to comply with all applicable UK legislation when operating within the UK, including for the operation of its white and green fleet of Heavy Goods Vehicles. When operating overseas, the MOD applies UK standards and arrangements where reasonably practicable and, in addition, responds to host nations' relevant HS and EP expectations. Where MOD dis-applications, exemptions or derogations from UK legislation apply, the MOD is required to maintain Departmental arrangements that produce outcomes that are, so far as reasonably practicable, at least as good as those required by UK legislation.

Department for Work and Pensions

Pensioners: Social Security Benefits

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued, or intend to issue, to advise mixed age couples to claim (1) pension credit, and (2) pension age housing benefit before 15 May.

baroness buscombe: The Government announced on 14 January that the mixed age couple policy change legislated for in the Welfare Reform Act 2012 will come into force on 15 May, following the roll out of Universal Credit. Information was placed on GOV.UK regarding the change and how people could be affected for the purposes of claiming Pension Credit and Housing Benefit for pensioners. This sets out that mixed age couples already claiming Pension Credit or Housing Benefit for pensioners at the point of change will not be affected for as long as they remain entitled to either benefit. It also makes clear that mixed age couples who would be eligible for either benefit on 14 May but who have not yet claimed will have until 13 August to make a backdated claim from that date. Following the announcement, we are implementing comprehensive plans to raise awareness of the change among people who may be affected. We have written directly to mixed-age couples who are already in receipt of Pension Credit or Housing Benefit for pensioners to ensure they know about the change and how they could be affected if their circumstances change on or after 15 May. The Department has also engaged with a number of relevant organisations, including Age UK, Citizen’s Advice and Local Authority representatives. A factsheet about the change has been provided, to help ensure that accurate information is available in the places where people are most likely to seek information. DWP staff in Pension Centres and Jobcentres will be able to provide information and advice, as will staff in Local Authorities who administer Housing Benefit.

Arcadia Group: Pensions

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to, or met, the Pensions Regulator in the last three months in connection with Arcadia Group.

baroness buscombe: The Pensions Regulator carries out its functions independently. The Department has not made any representations to the Pensions Regulator in relation to the Arcadia Group in the last three months.

Social Security Benefits

the lord bishop of durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many families are subject to the benefit cap.

baroness buscombe: Households can have their benefits capped either under Housing Benefit, or under Universal Credit, and the latest statistics were published in February 2019, covering households capped to November 2018.  Point-in-time caseload: Number of households capped by family type at November 2018, GB TotalSingle, no child dependantSingle, with child dependant(s)Couple, no child dependantCouple, with child dependant(s)Housing Benefit52,6503,54038,8504010,210Universal Credit9,8101,6005,920..2,290Data Sources: DWP 100% Single Housing Benefit Extract and DWP Universal Credit Official Statistics Database Table Notes:Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers less than 10 have been replaced with '..'Figures include households that have had their Housing Benefit or Universal Credit full service capped. Universal Credit full service is available to all claimant types but only in certain areas of the country at November 2018.Figures for Universal Credit may be revised in future publications, as Universal Credit awards may be retrospectively revised. The Housing Benefit caseload data is taken from DWP Stat-Xplore, whilst the Universal Credit caseload data is taken from the official statistics caseload tables, published on 7th Feb 2019.

Poverty

baroness stroud: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their commitment to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, what steps they are taking to ensure that people living more than 50 per cent below the poverty linein the UK are not left behind.

baroness buscombe: This government is committed to delivering a sustainable long-term solution to poverty, by building a strong economy and ensuring that the benefit system works with the tax system and the labour market, to support employment and higher pay.The Government does not publish data on those living more than 50% below the poverty line as comparisons of household income and expenditure suggest that those households reporting the very lowest incomes may not have the lowest living standards, meaning such a measure is likely to be unreliable. The Department for Work and Pensions, through its Jobcentre Plus network and local delivery partners, provides support for vulnerable customers or those with complex needs to address barriers so that they can move forward with their lives. A report on progress on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda will be presented to the UN’s High Level Political Forum in July as part of the UK’s Voluntary National Review. The Department for Work and Pensions is leading work across Government to assess progress against the first of these goals: ‘End poverty in all its forms everywhere’.

Asbestos: Industrial Diseases

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what response they are making to the announcement by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health that diseases as a result of exposure to asbestos are killing 5,000 people a year and that more than 130 companies or individuals have been ordered to stop work activities over the past year after being found to be non-compliant.

baroness buscombe: The Government welcomes the efforts by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) to raise awareness of the health risks arising from workplace exposure to asbestos. The announcement by IOSH highlights the need for employers and employees to remain vigilant when undertaking work which may disturb asbestos. The Health and Safety Executive and Local Authority inspectors will continue to take action in cases of non-compliance with the law, as indicated in the IOSH announcement.

Home Office

Asylum: Christianity

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the Home Office refused asylum applications because of (1) quotations used by applicants from the Bible which “are inconsistent with your [the applicant’s] claim that you converted to Christianity after discovering it is a ‘peaceful’ religion...”; and (2) a candidate “affirmed in your Asylum Interview Record that Jesus is your saviour, but then claimed He would not be able to save you from the Iranian regime. It is therefore considered that you have no conviction in your faith and your belief in Jesus is half-hearted”.

baroness williams of trafford: We are urgently investigating reports which indicate that some asylum decisions were not drafted in accordance with our policy.Published Home Office policy guidance contains detailed instructions on how asylum decision makers are expected to approach religious based claims. Our policy makes clear that when assessing such claims, decision makers are expected to ask appropriate and sensitive questions based on an understanding of religious concepts, philosophical viewpoints and forms of persecution a person may suffer due to their religion, belief or lack of belief.Where credibility of a conversion to a faith needs to be established, an interview should be far more an exploration of a claimant’s personal experiences and journey to their new faith, both in their country and in the UK, rather than a test of religious facts.The Home Office have worked closely with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Asy-lum Advocacy Group (AAG) for many years, to help improve their approach to religious based claims and have recently worked with them to develop and produce a specialist training package.The aim of this course is to ensure that where religion or belief is raised in an asylum claim, asylum decision makers appropriately consider all the available evidence in accordance International, European & Domestic law and Home Office Asylum Policy, when interviewing asylum applicants and making decisions on their claims.The course will be rolled out to Asylum Senior Caseworkers and Technical Specialists in April 2019 and all asylum Decision Makers over the course of the subsequent three months.

Asylum: Religion

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to ensure that officials assessing asylum applications have sufficient theological information to interrogate claims made by those seeking refuge from persecution on account of their faith.

baroness williams of trafford: The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it, in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and European Convention on Human Rights.Asylum decision-makers carefully assess protection needs following an interview by considering all available evidence provided by the claimant in light of published country information. They receive extensive training on considering asylum claims and must follow published Home Office policy guidance. Guidance on interviewing and decision making are provided in published policy instructions on gov.uk:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/asylum-decision-making-guidance-asylum-instructions andhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/considering-asylum-claims-and-assessing-credibility-instructionThe Home Office have worked closely with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Asylum Advocacy Group (AAG) for many years, to help improve their approach to religious based claims and have recently worked with them to develop and produce a specialist training package.The aim of this course is to ensure that where religion or belief is raised in an asylum claim, asylum decision makers appropriately consider all the available evidence in accordance International, European & Domestic law and Home Office Asylum Policy, when interviewing asylum applicants and making decisions on their claims.The course will be rolled out to Asylum Senior Caseworkers and Technical Specialists in April 2019 and all asylum Decision Makers over the course of the subsequent three months.

Hare Coursing

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many police reports were made for hare coursing in England and Wales in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, (3) 2015, (4) 2016, (5) 2017, and (6) 2018.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office does not hold the information requested.It is an operational matter for the police.

Asylum: Religion

baroness sherlock: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they provide religious literacy training to staff who decide asylum applications.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office have worked closely with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Asylum Advocacy Group (AAG) for many years, to help improve their approach to religious based claims and have recently worked with them to develop and produce a specialist training package.The aim of this course is to ensure that where religion or belief is raised in an asylum claim, asylum decision makers appropriately consider all the available evidence in accordance with International, European & Domestic law and Home Office Asylum Policy, when interviewing asylum applicants and making decisions on their claims.The Asylum Learning and Development Team (AL&D) also delivers the Foundation Training Programme (FTP) to all new asylum decision makers. This intensive five-week course provides staff with training on all aspects of asylum decision making, including religious-based claims, religious conversion and has been endorsed by the UNHCR. During the course, trainees consider case studies involving religion or belief-based persecution. This course is followed by a period of mentoring.

Slavery

baroness stroud: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many potential victims of modern slavery referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) in 2018 had been through the NRM before.

baroness williams of trafford: The National Crime Agency regularly publishes National Referral Mecha-nism (NRM) data but does not publish data on potential victims that have been through the NRM previously. The National Crime Agency published the National Referral Mechanism Statistics Annual Report 2018 on 20th March 2019:http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics/2018-nrm-statistics/1019-modern-slavery-and-human-trafficking-national-referral-mechanism-statistics-annual-report-2018

Antisocial Behaviour and Crimes of Violence

lord tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they categorise antisocial or violent individuals by whether they are left wing or right wing; if so, why; and if so, what criteria they take into account when assessing whether any such individual should be described as left wing or right wing.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government takes seriously the threat from all forms of antisocial behaviour, extremism, and violence, including terrorism, whether this is motivated by left-wing, right-wing or Islamist ideology. Our response is however threat agnostic. It is a matter for the Police to determine whether a crime has been committed and, where a crime has been committed, how it is classified. In its analysis of extremism, the Government applies the definition of extremism set out in the 2015 Counter-Extremism Strategy equally.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Students: Plagiarism

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to take any action against social media companies which allow advertisements from essay mill services and contract cheating companies; and if so, what action.

lord ashton of hyde: The public must have confidence in the exam system and cheating of any kind is unacceptable. Online advertising is not specifically in scope of the forthcoming Online Harms White Paper and will be looked at in detail as part of the online advertising review announced by the Secretary of State in February. To the extent that there is overlap between the White Paper and online advertising self-regulation, we will work with stakeholders on any duplication that may arise as a result of the proposals.

Radio: Local Broadcasting

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on local communities of local commercial radio stations being bought by international media companies; and the move away from local programming to centralised content produced in London which is also aired by other stations.

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that local commercial radio stations remain local in (1) presence, and (2) content.

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether an international media company which has bought a local commercial radio station, which has subsequently closed its local headquarters, is in breach of the commercial radio licence that was awarded to that local station by Ofcom.

lord ashton of hyde: The local programming and content requirements for holders of local analogue commercial radio licenses (whether the holder is ultimately owned by an international media organisation or not) are set by Ofcom under the legislative framework – primarily the Broadcasting Act 1990 and the Communications Act 2003. Changes to legislation introduced by the previous Government in March 2010 gave local commercial stations the ability to network local programming within defined editorial areas for the first time.Under section 314 of the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom is required to produce and keep up to date localness guidance for local analogue radio license holders to follow in complying with their local programming and content requirements. In 2018, Ofcom consulted on changes to the localness guidance following research on listener attitudes. Ofcom’s impact assessment covered the potential impacts on radio listeners and the industry.Compliance with licence requirements is a matter Ofcom, the independent regulator.

Listed Events

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last reviewed the protected Sports Rights List; whether they have any plans to add other national sports, in particular women’s sports, to that list; if so, which sports they intend to add; and if not, why not.

lord ashton of hyde: The list of protected sporting events was last reviewed between 2008 and 2009, by an independent advisory panel. Government does not currently have any plans to revise the list which we believe works well to deliver the best outcome. Our listed events regime strikes a balance between retaining free-to-air sports events for the public while allowing rights holders to negotiate agreements in the best interests of their sport.Coverage of women’s professional sport on free to air television has improved significantly in the last ten years, with the women’s Football World Cup and Euro Championships, Women’s Rugby World Cup, cycling and tennis being regular fixtures on the BBC and ITV . However, the list is kept under continued review by my Department to ensure that the nation’s most loved sporting events remain available on free to air television.

Radio: Local Broadcasting

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the regulations issued by Ofcom in 2018 that allowed radio station owners to reduce the minimum amount of local programming on local radio stations during daytime hours from seven to three hours per day.

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on local communities of the decision by Ofcom to remove the requirement on local radio stations to produce their own breakfast show.

lord ashton of hyde: We have made no such assessment. These are matters for Ofcom, the independent regulator.